This is the M&E Thursday Talk from August 13th, 2020, when Jon Bellish, VP of Strategy, and Lindsay Heger, Director of Impact, Learning & Accountability, at One Earth Future Foundation led a discussion on “The Business Case for Optimizing Program Impact Through Embedded Monitoring Systems.“
What are the benefits to embedding monitoring & evaluation systems and practices within every stage of a program’s incubation? At One Earth Future (OEF), this practice not only improves programmatic results; it makes good business sense. In this webinar, Jon and Lindsay shared with participants how OEF achieves this, and why it is a beneficial business practice.
Rather than funding contracted impact evaluations or program assessments, OEF invests in an independent Impact, Learning, and Accountability department to monitor, validate, and analyze all programmatic data, providing program teams – and partners – with near real-time data that is extensive, temporally variant, and outcome focused.
Jon and Lindsay shared how, with timely data at hand, OEF programs are able to innovate based on empirical insights and deploy program staff around outcomes. They also explained how their program leaders are equipped to achieve better, quicker, and greater impact over the program lifecycle, and how they are able to provide existing and potential partners with seasoned insights about the indicators that best correlate with intended goals.
More on One Earth Future’s Approach:
One Earth Future takes an approach to measuring program impact that extends beyond assessments, evaluations, and surveys, to also integrate robust outcome-focused monitoring systems into all programs from their inception. Through trial and error over the course of its decade-long history as an incubator of international peacebuilding and peace-making programs, the organization has found value in this approach on multiple fronts. Embedding the practice in program development and implementation has proven to have payoffs that are at least two-fold for individual programs, as well as providing the collective benefit organizationally – and for all partners involved – of opportunities for shared learning and insights across a variety of diverse programs.